1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for catching waves or water on an amusement attraction. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for catching waves or water at the end (e.g., connected with a shutdown lane) of a waterslide attraction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Waterslides or other amusement attractions frequently use water or other fluids to help move or allow riders to slide along the attraction. This water or fluid may be used as a lubricant to more easily facilitate a sliding movement along the attraction, whether in conjunction with a ride vehicle (e.g., an inflatable raft) or without any ride vehicle (e.g., just the rider themselves). In order to help advance a rider along the attraction and to assist in making the attraction more exciting, riders travel at a quick rate of speed along the attraction. As the rider approaches the end of the attraction, their speed of travel must be slowed so that they can safely exit from the attraction. Typically, this slowing is facilitated either via a pool or other body of water at the end of the attraction into which the riders are deposited or dumped into and/or an elongated “shutdown lane” that acts to provide a distance that the rider slides along as their speed slows. Once the rider has stopped moving at the end of the attraction, the rider may then safely exit the attraction, either through standing up and stepping out of the shutdown lane and/or swimming out of the pool or other body of water.
In order to conserve water and lower operational costs, water from the shutdown lane, pool, and/or other body of water is typically pumped or otherwise transferred to the beginning of the water attraction and used as the previously described lubrication. Thus, in an ideal attraction, water used as lubrication and/or in the shutdown lane or body of water at the end of the attraction is conserved and thus available for reuse. Typically, however, some water is splashed out of the attraction, often when a shutdown lane is used since the sliding motion of the rider sometimes causes water in the shutdown lane to splash up and out of the confines of the shutdown lane. It would thus be desirable to have a more efficient manner to slow a rider down in a shutdown lane that also helps conserve water by retaining as much water as possible within the confines of the attraction for recirculation. Ideally, such an apparatus or method would provide an end component for a shutdown lane that reduces risk of injury to a rider as the rider slides towards the end component while also helping maintain a substantial amount of water from splashing out of the shutdown lane and/or end component due to the rider's sliding motion there-towards.